Sen. Tester, stand up for principle over IRS abuses

On Aug. 5, I sent the following letter to Sen. Jon Tester. I suppose he is pretty busy but I did expect that he might have some sort of response considering the magnitude of the allegations against the IRS. It seems to me that anyone who considers freedom to be precious would be shaken to their socks by abuse of power within an organization which has such a huge impact on all of our lives. Especially considering that the IRS is now going to control our health care.

It was announced last week that the IRS supervisor at the center of this controversy, Lois Lerner, has retired on a fat pension. Lerner had been on a taxpayer-funded summer vacation since her admission in May that the IRS employees under her direction had been abusing their authority by targeting certain tax-exempt organizations for special treatment. No matter where you stand politically, keep in mind that if this president and those acting on his behalf are allowed to misuse the awesome powers of the IRS without consequences, the next president might not be the one of your choice.

If, after reading my letter to Sen. Tester, you feel that this is a matter deserves his attention, perhaps you will call his office at 202-224-2644 to ask why he is silent.

Dear Sen. Tester:

There are times when it is necessary for good men to rise above partisan politics and stand on the principles which built this great republic. Such a time is coming at us like an express train.

Each morning when I read the paper I am reminded of a similar time. The president then was a man named Nixon. Each new day of his administration brought dribs and drabs of relatively incomprehensible information being dragged from witnesses at seemingly meaningless congressional hearings. Nixon supporters called it a political witch hunt. Nixon dismissed the scandal as “a third rate burglary.” As the bits and pieces of information began to illustrate the larger picture of abuse of power and cover-up, the strings leading into the White House brought forth the best in a statesman/senator, who famously asked, “What did the president know and when did he know it?” Howard Baker will forever be remembered for demonstrating the best of what it means to be a true lover of American freedom.

I am not accusing this president of any wrongdoing. Direct evidence that he knows anything of the numerous scandals swirling around his administration does not exist.

I am not asking that you inject yourself into the “Fast and Furious” investigation, which was successfully stonewalled even though a border patrolman was killed and Obama’s attorney general was accused of perjury and held in contempt of Congress.

I am not insisting that you comment on the congressional investigations into the unfortunate deaths of an ambassador and three other Americans in Benghazi, Libya.

I am not requesting that you voice objection to the NSA collecting our personal information.

I suppose that history will be the final judge of Mr. Obama’s handling of those issues.

However, when the terrifying power of the Internal Revenue Service is illegally unleashed upon innocent American citizens doing nothing more than attempting to participate in our cherished electoral system, it is time to stand up for principles larger than one man. It is not as if there were some doubt that the Internal Revenue Service abused its power. Lois Lerner admitted that they did and Barack Obama acknowledged this abuse of power. He claimed outrage. Unfortunately, as the evidence trail begins to lead into his White House, Obama has now begun calling this a “phony scandal.”

I will trust that you will use your good offices to punish those who have abused power and to ensure that every American citizen is treated fairly and equally as prescribed by the Constitution. If we, as a society, allow this sort of abuse of power to go unchallenged we are acknowledging the end of the world’s exemplary experiment in democracy.

Bob Faulkner is a resident of Kalispell.